


And The Sun Fades to a Shimmer

by Nothing_can_last_forever



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-12
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-05-21 09:28:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14912804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nothing_can_last_forever/pseuds/Nothing_can_last_forever
Summary: Apollo is having a hard enough time without being put onto a plane, heading into a storm with his friends on board. It brings out the unpleasant side of him, and the three other demigods are witness to it.





	1. The Sun's Fall From Grace

**Author's Note:**

> AU to the ending of Trials of Apollo whereas Piper and Leo join our favourite dynamic to their next destination & Apollo has some of his light/sun powers   
> Disclaimer: I do not own Trials of Apollo or associated with novels, all rights go to Rick Riordan 
> 
> (The Burning Maze killed me on the inside, this is my self help)

The three other demigods looked downright trodden as they climbed on board, Piper having just finished wishing broken promises into her father's arms as they hugged. Apollo can't help but feel his hearth break even more, looking at the daughter of Aphrodite's tear-traced face as she takes the seat nearest the front, away from where her dead ex-boyfriend laid. Leo pulls her closer, the son of Hephaestus barely managing to look back at the ex-god and his master as his best friend again bursts into a fresh set of tears, sobs echoing around the silent seats. 

Apollo wants to reach out and try to heal her heartbreak, but knows that what'd done can't be healed, especially by the one who had a hand in the son of Jupiter's death. Jupiter… His father was going to be so livid when he realised that Apollo killed his favourite son, but the former sun god almost relished in that thought. The healing arrow wound ached as he shifted in his seat, uncomfortable in the company of the others, unlike his companion. Meg was silently cross-legged on the seat next to him, switching from playing with her rings to staring at his face, which had begun growing more confused as the two other demigods had joined in as well. Fingers shaking, he doesn't realise the strings plucking and the sorrowful notes overwhelming the minds of the others until Meg grabbed one of his hands, clutching it tightly in her own. 

Surprised at her sudden, and unexpected show of affection, Apollo suddenly notices the tears streaming down all their faces, Meg's especially. The girl never showed weakness in front of anyone, particularly not her 'servant'. But now, all three demigods stared in awe at the former god, sadness reflecting off them. Confused, he tries to read their expressions, but nothing comes forth. Instead, he quickly stashes the ukulele away and turns to gaze out the window next to him, trying to ignore the disappointment of the others. He wasn't their entertainment. Not now, not ever. The burns around his wrists and ankles still hurt, but he ignored it, favouring the pain over showing the others how truly weak he is. 

The clouds seemed to collect around them, the winds turning harsher as they glide closer towards their destination. Lightning flashes around them, and Apollo can't help but grip the armrests as if they were his lifeline. No my father wouldn't dare to blast me out of the sky… His father may be the god of the skies, but in his sun chariot nothing could harm him, let alone his father's lightning bolts. But now, outside of the safety of his chariot, Apollo reckoned that his father had every chance to blast his now mortal son and companions out of the sky as if they were flies. Apart from Python, nothing terrified the former sun god more than the lightning bolts of his father. Having been at the receiving end of them for thousands of years had taught him to even feel the electricity building up to run and hide. 

Trapped in a metal contraption, there was nowhere to run. His companions, no friends, would die alongside him. His breath catches as Apollo tries to distract himself, desperate to flee from the dark thoughts flooding him. But it was too late, the feelings when he plunged that arrow into his chest, witnessing Jason and Crest fall to the evil emperors, and now the constant rocking of the plane threw him off his guard. Without warning, he raced to the bathroom, locking the door behind him as he fell, struggling to reign himself in. The past seemed to weigh down on him, the future becoming bleaker as the world becomes darker. As a roll of thunder crashes overhead, Apollo can't help the scream that catches in his throat, and despite the constant knocking on the door he can't pull himself off the ground.   
Apollo feels the charmspeak before he hears it, but it's useless as he flounders like a fish out of water, desperate to even catch his breath. The sound of door crashing and the thunder exploding set him off again, and as arms reach for him he reacts harshly, fighting back with tooth and nail, screaming at the unknown in Ancient Greek. The soothing voice telling him to calm down does nothing but agitate him more, and the crowding to two bodies pressing him against the wall cause him to hiss and snarl at them like a caged animal. 

Meg can't help but grow afraid at the teenager in front of her, pressed back into the tight corner of the bathroom. It was obvious that Apollo wasn't seeing them, and the conjoined efforts of Leo and Piper were doing nothing to help him. As the thunder echoes overhead, the shaking of his body grows, and it doesn't escape anyone's notice. The fear in his eyes, the anguished way he was trying to flee from them, and the way he was reacting didn't take long for Meg to realise. Pushing her way past the two older demigods, she comes face to face to her friend, the lights in the plane brightening in a way to was unnatural. Not wanting to terrify her friend, and have him potentially blow the lights unknowingly, she reaches into her pockets and tries to find the right seeds. She jerks off Leo and Piper as they try to pull her away, she stares hard and knowingly into the blank gaze of her friend and grows the seeds in her hands into full bloom. 

The beautiful pastels of purple in hand intrigue her and the others, but they ignore it as Meg carefully reaches out and offers the bunch to her friend, the hyacinth in her hand offering a sweet fragrance from the stale air. The nearly exploding lights seem to fade before their eyes as Apollo takes one of the flowers, rolling it between his thumb and index finger. Cautiously, in order to not break the peace, the daughter of Demeter slowly guides Apollo back to his seat, choosing to ignore the way he seems to tremble in her hands as every rumble and flash of lightning terrifies him further. It's clear to the others now what's wrong, and the slight tinkering of Leo's nervousness seems to agitate the former god more than before. Gesturing for the ADHD boy to stop for the moment, Meg tries to regain eye contact with Apollo as he glances out of the nearest windows, fear still reflecting in his eyes. 

The faint whisper of Ancient Greek still streams out of Apollo, and he knows that he should know these young demigods in front of him but can't fit the names swirling around in his head to the faces in front of him. The young girl with the cat-eye glasses and the sweet hyacinths in her little hands was obviously trying to communicate with him, but words and meanings escape his understanding. The older two try to hand a pen and writing pad to him, but Apollo can't stop the trembling in his hands in order to properly write. He throws the writing utensils in a fit of rage, cursing at them all. 

The sight in front of her terrifies Piper, the former god's anger pulsating with the lights. The lightning cracks remind her of Jason, but she pushes that to the side in favour of trying to calm Apollo down. Her Ancient Greek is barely passable at best, but she tries her hardest as she catches glimpses of what the petrified teenage in front of her is saying. It's weird to think of the thousands-year-old being in front of her as a teenager, but in that moment, all Apollo was, was a panicking 16-year-old. Trying to listen carefully, she hears Artemis, no and Father don't! as the young girl in front of her tries her hardest to calm her friend with the flowers. The flower that had originally allowed the three demigods to take Apollo out of the bathroom laid crushed near his feet, somewhat steaming in the harsh lights blinking at them. 

With trepidation, Piper knows that it's going to sound awful, but it seems like the best course of action, tries to talk back to him. Apollo looks shocked at a response, and the already rapid fire talking increases tenfold, her confusion hurting him as its obvious she doesn't understand. It doesn't stop her from telling him their names, and slowly speaking English to him. Apollo seems to understand somewhat, and they're all curious when he reaches for yet another hyacinth, cradling it within his hands. The fog lifts from his eyes, and he can't look any of them in their eyes from embarrassment. 

Without warning, the plane seems to hurdle, throwing the occupants into a frenzy, and the lights finally explode, leaving them all in darkness with a now sobbing former sun god.


	2. And The Sun's Light Dims Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apollo finally cracks, and the three demigods realise the real pain behind the son of Zeus and Leto

Leo immediately goes to light his fingers, desperate for some light before he remembers he’s in a plane, hurtling towards the unknown in the darkness. He can’t see anything past the flashing lightning illuminating everyone’s face; the careful mask on Piper as she attempts to console Apollo, Meg’s terrified face, and the worst is Apollo’s absolutely petrified face streaked with tears. It seems like the former god is emitting light, a soft glow that can only be seen when the darkness resettles again. The rocking of the plane increases, and the sobbing mixes with the sound of frantic prayers. His Ancient Greek is even worse than Piper’s, but even he can understand the mother, sister, please! that strains the thin words. 

The burning gold eyes should shock him but travelling together for weeks on end gave Leo opportunities to experience the former god’s ill temperament, and this was no exception. However, seeing them filled to the brim with tears, manically jumping from face to face, the son of Hephaestus can’t help but feel sorry for Apollo. Every time the lightning strikes, the shaking becomes more prominent in his frame, and it’s not hard for even Leo to realise the problem isn’t only what’s going on outside. They had a few lightning storms, when Apollo was alongside Leo and Calypso, but he had never seen this reaction from him before. Quite frankly, it was freaking Leo out, seeing the normally calm god-turned-human scared out of his wits and praying like a drowning man. 

Everything Piper was trying to do did nothing to penetrate the thick wall that Apollo had suddenly put up, the flow of his prayers steadily increasing into a frantic rate, almost like he’ll die if he didn’t get it out. Attempts of charmspeak fell over his head, and the combined efforts of Meg and herself did nothing to calm Apollo down from the panic holding him in its dark hands. Desperate, she picks up the celestial bronze ukulele, strumming the few chords she recognised. Piper was more suited to a guitar, but the ukulele softly strums as her fingers flies across the strings. Apollo’s face flickers through several emotions in the shallow light before slowly realising the darkness, and his pale face becomes more prominent as he takes deep breaths. Slowly exhaling, the lights seem to flicker on by themselves, streams of soft white illuminating the large patches of flowers that have seemingly popped up, Meg’s face flushed in embarrassment. 

Despite the darkness retreating, the three demigods still corner Apollo in case of another episode, looking for any signs of another panic attack. He seems to have calmed down significantly, playing with some flowers that Meg had accidently grown and not looking at any of them, shame colouring his face a dark red. Leo, Piper and Meg all give each other a sign, and silently devise a plan. With the bright colours holding Apollo’s attention, the three slowly back away in order to not be heard from the former god. 

It hurts Meg, seeing her friend in such a mess. She now realises why he was so adamant about convincing her about her step-father, no Nero! and the difficulties he had about his own family. She decides then and there to be the first to try to speak to Apollo, regardless of the protests of the older demigods. She was the one closest to him, and she had similar problems to he was currently going through, and Meg manages to convince the others of her reasoning. Carefully, as not to scare the former god, Meg takes the closest flower to herself and again presents one to her friend. He softly takes it, the blossom fully blooming when Meg begs it to. 

“Apollo…” Meg’s voice startles Apollo out of his thoughts, shame and guilt flooding him. He doesn’t want to look at his companions, but he forces himself to stare at the, for once, open face of his master. “What was that?”

Her usual and casual bluntness reminds Apollo of who he is dealing with, but he can’t force himself to answer, skittishly eyeing the windows for the lightning bolts raining down in the sky. He refuses to answer, jaw set on deadlock until Meg orders him, and he’s unable to keep silent. 

“I’m terrified of lightning alright! That’s all there is to it, let it go Meg!” The harsh tone of his voice almost makes Meg rethink how close she is, but she stands her ground, glaring at the former sun god to relent and tell her. It’s a battle of wills, the three demigods against Apollo, until Piper washes the former god of music with charmspeak, control further slipping away. 

“I…I can still feel the lightning coursing through me. It’s father’s favourite way of…teaching me a lesson, in a way. There’s only so many times a god can take the full brunt of his master lightning bolt, and he’s…he’s vaporised me a few times. Millenia after millennia, and look what we have, a former god frightened of something so trivial!” His voice quivered with the intensity of his words, and despite the protests of the three others, ploughed on. “I can’t even feel lightning without, without freaking out like a small child! Look at me, a former Olympian petrified of a few bolts all because he couldn’t behave!” 

“Imagine, imagine being so hated that even your twin sister can’t stand you! She never had to gain the respect of any of the Olympians, she just showed up and battered her little eyelashes at father, and everyone loves her! Even mother prefers her to me! Me, I had to go through literal hell, not only battling Python, but other terrible trials, I had to earn the respect, and by the gods I wished I never did. Always shifting and jumping between domains to fill this, this hole within me, but it never did, and never has!” Apollo’s tears running down his face reflect those of the demigods in front of him, and the fierceness in his voice want Meg, Piper and Leo to break down into sobs.   
“Some god of prophecy I am, when all I am is some toy that’s discarded when used! They ask me such trivial questions, Oh, Apollo, what colour shall I wear to this party? Oh Apollo, what’s the weather forecast?” The imitations seemed uncanny, Piper recognising the sound of her mother’s voice, but she continues to grow unsettled by the smouldering of the yellow eyes staring at them, hatred burning in them, but not at the demigods. “But when I present to them actual prophecies, like the Second Great Prophecy, I am told I am a child, and not to bother them! If his lordliness hadn’t listened to Gaia, and barricaded himself behind the great golden gates, the mess wouldn’t have unfolded! And when I do manage to convince someone, even if that someone was that idiot of a legacy, I’m the one who gets the blame! And what makes this whole matter worse, I don’t even care I’m mortal, not the first time its happened and most probably not even the last, but not one single member of the council, my family, stood up for me! Nobody! What am I to them, just a toy?” 

Meg can’t bear to stand by and listen to the despair in Apollo’s voice anymore, and desperately wants to cling him to her. All the stanzas in his mournful song when finding her now made sense, and she hopes to the gods that she never becomes a part of that sorrowful song. With caution thrown to the air, Meg grabs Apollo and pulls him into a fierce hug, clutching him close as he heaves sobs into her chest, crying from thousands of years of being unloved and uncared for. She carefully kneels to the ground, still holding Apollo, as the millennia old being cries his heart out, the abuse and mistreatment flowing through the heart-rending tears. She finally joins in, crying at the broken person in front of her, her friend. The flowers seem to weep with them, petals drooping until they looked as if they were bowing. 

Finally, finally Leo and Piper join them, looking at each other awkwardly as Apollo continues to wail into the young daughter of Demeter’s arms, until Piper brings the two of them closer, Leo following suit. Just listening to what Apollo had been saying nearly gave her tore her heart into tiny pieces, unable to process what her ex-boyfriend’s father had done to this lonely soul, and she can’t imagine what the former sun god is feeling. It’s obvious to the daughter of Aphrodite the self-hatred and self-deprecation overwhelming Apollo, but she didn’t realise to what extent it was, how extremely the what she presumed to be sunny person hated himself. All three demigods crowded around the bawling form of Apollo, vowing to make the former sun god shine once more, no matter what it takes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, there we go. I'm not sure how many more chapters there's going to be, but I'm thinking about adding flashbacks or letting Apollo tell the others more about his life - particularly in Ancient Greece. Let me know with any suggestions! I'm also thinking about adding a happy chapter somewhere, unusual for me, but I think Apollo needs some happiness in his life :)


	3. The Sun's Light Is a Warm Embrace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cute fluffy chapter after two emotional chapters!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, its school holidays and I have been soooo lazy! Anyways, have fun!

Exhausted, all four gather back round the chairs, Apollo curling up like a cat into the nearest seat. Meg sits right beside him, slightly reaching out towards him but pulling back at the last moment, unsure what to do. His red-rimmed eyes stare at nothing, and she sense the unease rolling off of him in waves. She glances at the other two demigods, but they too look confused, so she settles contently against his side, watching as the former music god attempts to retain what’s left of his composure. It hurts Meg to see him like this, vulnerable and terrified, but she allows him to do it independently, to show himself he still has some control over his life. Slowly, as if approaching a hurt animal, she treads one hand through the curly brown locks of Apollo’s hair, almost cooing at how soft if felt. He seems too out of it to complain, so Meg leaves her hand there, slowly stroking and playing with the curls. 

Piper can’t help but grow awkward at the scene in front of her, unsure how to proceed. It’s obvious to both herself and Leo that Meg had Apollo somewhat under control but seeing the former Olympian in such a state made the daughter of Aphrodite extremely uncomfortable. The feelings leave a darkening pit in her stomach as she can’t think of anything to comfort the son of Leto, until Leto comes to mind. Nervously, flickering between wanting to maintain the peace and comforting the former sun god, Piper cautiously asks “Apollo, what’s your mother like?” 

Her question obviously surprises Apollo, who stares at her in confusion before slowly processing what she was asking. He really doesn’t want to talk after exposing himself like that to what he now considers his friends, and exhaustion sweeps over him. But he owes it to Piper to talk, after all he had a hand in the execution of her friend. Thinking about his mother, and subsequently his twin and father hurts, but Apollo deems it necessary for the company surrounding him. So he reluctantly does, in Apollo’s opinion keeping it short and sweet until Piper seems semi satisfied, then stops. He can’t bring himself to keep going, and the former music god can’t help the tears gathering back in his eyes. He damns the human emotions revolting inside of him, and so buries his head deep into his arms to avoid the concerned expressions on the demigods’ faces. 

Meg wants to glare at the older demigod for upsetting her best friend, but she knows that Piper was only trying to help. Family is obviously painful topic for Apollo, and despite her experiences with Nero, Meg can’t seem to fully relate. He might have murdered her father, and threatened her, but despite all the Roman emperor seemed to care for her, in his sick twisted ways. She hates Nero with all her being, and she can’t help but wonder the hate that Apollo felt not only towards his own father, but the rest of his godly family. The daughter of Demeter can’t imagine the cyclone of emotions tearing inside of him from the betrayal and mistrust that Apollo feels about his Olympic relatives and hopes that she can help alleviate as he had attempted with her. Meg can’t see his face, but the sniffles coming from the curled figure indicate that tears are again pooling down. With slight urgency, she gently moves his head from his arms, despite the protests, and rests it in her lap, again taking the curls into her hands. 

Just now noticing, Apollo freezes for a split moment, unsure how to react before relaxing. The touch feels foreign to him, not only the gentle touch of his usually rough master, but to feel without pain behind the force. He relishes in the feeling, so unusual yet so pleasant at the same time. Picking up one of the wilting flowers Meg unknowingly bloomed, Apollo clutches it tightly, reminding himself of his failures as he stares at Jason’s diorama sitting innocently next to him. Meg seems to sense his feelings – he really doesn’t understand how mortals are able to do that – and continues doing an unknown thing to his hair, not that he cares. He’s given up caring for himself, all he needs to do is free the remaining Oracles and defeat Python, Apollo thinks to himself. 

Just thinking about the serpent makes Apollo shiver, his millennia old enemy suddenly filling his thoughts. Even since that day, when he was only four days old, Apollo’s been petrified of anything resembling serpents, including the snakes on Hermes’ caduceus and Asclepius’ staff. He vowed never to tell anyone in fear of being ridiculed, including Artemis, and while she may have suspected, the former sun god was certain she didn’t know. If she did know, his twin would have been making fun of him ever since her discovery. And as such, there was no way in Hades he was going to tell the demigods, the brave demigods helping him on his quest. In his own mind, Apollo believes that they have done more than he has ever done, both as god and mortal, the thoughts multiplying the tremendous feelings engulfing him. 

He takes several deep breaths subtle enough as to not alert Meg, Piper and Leo of his momentary lapse. Instead, he focuses on counting the time between the strokes of Meg’s hand, pushing back the memories of searing molecules and dust. He focuses on the heavy scent of flowers instead of the lingering, faint recollection of burning skin. Apollo thinks of the joys he’s had on his adventure as a mortal; spending time with his children, mingling with the demigods and bringing forth new experiences instead of remembering the six months he was absent from both earthly and godly planes. During the two months as a mortal, Apollo’s memories of the six months between the Second Giant War and his fall to Earth had slowly returned to him, and the former god wishes to all those who would listen that they hadn’t. 

The ghastly smell of Greek Fire starts to fill Apollo’s thoughts, slowly pulling him back to the celestial bronze net and cage of lightning when the tugging of a small hand in his hair pushes him back to the present, allowing him to focus on the gentleness of the current moments. A forced smile is upon Meg’s face as she gazes at him, which Apollo can immediately separate the fake grin from the genuine smile the daughter of Demeter gives him, but he appreciates the gesture anyway. Breathing in the earthy scent surrounding his best friend, he focuses on the pitter patter of the rain falling outside the plane, the raging storm finally dying down to a simple shower of light rain. The clouds part before them, the dark grey revealing the blackness of night and the bright shine of the stars. 

Seeing the stars outside, Apollo begins to perk up and he finally looks around for the other two demigods; Leo whose hands still for a moment before going back to whatever he’s currently making as he catches the former sun god’s eyes, and Piper who wistfully gazes out at the night sky. His hands moving without him thinking, Apollo suddenly finds several handfuls of flowers in his lap as he shuffles to make a platform for himself, weaving and plaiting to keep himself preoccupied as Meg looks on in barely concealed wonder. In moments, several chains of beautiful flowers appear. Grabbing the most colourful one, Apollo leans back and places it carefully on Meg’s tiny head regardless of her bemused expression, grinning despite himself. 

Slowly moving away from his headrest, known as Meg, he stands up and approaches Leo, quietly laughing to himself when the younger man stares at him with confusion when a crown of red is placed on his head. Nonetheless, the son of Hephaestus doesn’t object and instead rights it to fit his head properly. Finally, with apprehension, Apollo makes his way over to the daughter of Aphrodite, presenting Piper a circlet made of hyacinths and carnations, silently hoping that she got the message he was trying to convey. Capturing his eyes, Piper slightly nods as she takes his present, and Apollo finally lets out that breath of air that was anxiously holding itself in his chest. 

Seeing everyone else content with the flowers, he slips back to Meg and curls up again, head fully resting on her lap. Looking at the older demigods, he fails to see what Meg is up to until he feels something fall onto his head and the large grin on the young girl’s face leaning over his. Reaching upwards, he touches the soft petals and grins back at Meg. For once, he’s happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hyacinths and carnations mean "I'm sorry" and "apologies" - it seemed somewhat fitting for Apollo to use them 
> 
> Next chapter should be up soon, but its undecided if it's going to be angst or fluff. Let me know what you want!


	4. Even the Sun Must Leave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They must finally deal with the consequences - at least the beginning of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the delay! I'm currently on school holidays, so there'll be many more chapters to come. School has been hell, and I lost motivation until a few weeks ago. But here we go again!

The swirling waters of the Little Tiber slowly comes into full view from the tiny window, the ball of anxiety deep within Apollo clawing its way through his stomach into his chest. His body feels heavy, as if it were made of lead, and the very prospect of going outside and meeting the Romans since gods-knows-when with a deceased favourite of theirs increases the pressure onto his psyche. Meg, seemingly attune to his turmoiled emotions since they first begun so many months ago, quietly grasps one of his shaking hands into her own tiny ones, the beginning of callouses on such young hands rubbing against his sweaty palms. 

The plane descends with the rapid decrease of his heartbeat, fear boiling and broiling in the fires of his veins. Apollo seeks to find Leo and Piper, who had clasped hands and were appropriating themselves with steeled expressions; the only indication of weakness is the tear tracks still visible on Piper’s cheeks. Still locking hands with Meg, whose face seems to grow pale at the prospect of meeting Romans – apparently so unlike to The Beast and the rest of his gang – and solemnly nods, slowly but surely climbing down the steep stairs of the aircraft. From the outside, the former god could see the blackened streaks from when they were hit by lightning, and the fists holding his guts squeezes even tighter than before. 

It’s pitch-black outside, dark as the thoughts gnawing at the depths of his mind. It takes all four of them to lift the heavy coffin off the plane, not one of them able to glimpse the light wood for more than a moment before tears sprung to their eyes. Terminus calls out to them, the armless bust quickly, as least quickly for the minor god, hopping to them, alarm about to set throughout the entirety of Camp Jupiter. Spotting Leo, the alarms immediately ring, young demigods rushing out in half-dressed battle armour and pyjamas. 

A young woman stands out amongst the crowd to Apollo, a purple cape draped over the polished armour. Her gaze meets Piper’s, and she instantly knows. Her composure weakens for a split second before she regains it, racing to meet the four crowding the coffin. Reyna recognises Leo and Piper – there was no in Pluto’s name that she wouldn’t after what they had been through all together – but the young girl and the teenaged boy are strangers to her. 

The closer she approaches, the closer the young girl seems to get to the other stranger who nervously plucks at the ukulele in his trembling hands. He has such weird eyes, constantly glancing around and measuring them up like other demigods, but older – more ancient. God-like even. But he can’t be. Too bruised and battered, too dirty for even the lest vain deity they could ever encounter. But there was certainly something Reyna couldn’t pin on him, the tiny flaw that escapes her grasp. Terminus removes her attention away from the duo with his screaming and screeching, the minor god becoming an even bigger pain than usual with the appearance of Leo within Camp Jupiter. 

She’s almost glad for the distraction, the silencing of the border god allowing Reyna more time to compose herself before facing the Grecians. Her fellow Romans surround the group in confusion, not knowing the fate being woven for them. Finally reaching the four, Reyna witnesses the distress and exhaustion flooding from each and every one of them in waves. It was a shock to see Leo fine, for after all he was supposed to be in the Underworld, dead. But it’s a relief to see old faces again, even if it were to announce the death of her closest friend. Not wanting any weaknesses to be shown, Reyna gestures for all four of them to follow her, calling upon her most trustworthy friends to prepare for Jason’s funeral. It breaks her heart to see the collapse of their faces, but she manages to hold steady. Barely. 

In the corner of her eye, Reyna watches as the girl cautiously takes the hand of the strange teenager, clutching it as if it is her lifeline. It does little to help her complexion, pale even in the dim light, but her nerves seem to considerably calm as they enter Reyna’s private chambers. There, Reyna finally lets the tears fall, the normally stoic teenager grasping onto Leo and Piper as they mourn the former praetor for New Rome. 

It’s a shock to Apollo to see the young praetor break down like this. The guilt builds tenfold, swallowing him whole in its never-ending journey. The feeling to bolt, away from New Rome and its occupants, away from his friends, intensified. He couldn’t be the cause of another person’s grief. He simply can’t. Meg seems to tune into his emotions yet again, squeezing his hand tightly to ground him from his thoughts. In response, he pulls her closer as the fear in her eyes grows more apparent at the scene in front of them. It pulls at his chest; she wasn’t supposed to be so scared at such a young age. The gods had failed her and would continue to fail others. Like Jason. Like Leo and Piper and Reyna. 

It was no wonder they were rising. 

Meg seems to go faint, precariously leaning onto Apollo for support as her legs fall out from underneath her. It’s hard to support her with one hand, but he manages to pull her near-unconscious form to the couch before the three other demigods notice. It’s instantaneous as Piper rifles for nectar in her duffle as Reyna and Leo help the former god place his master onto the soft cushions of the royal purple couch. Apollo is nearly frantic, checking her for any signs for what was causing her condition with fluttering hands and a shaky thought process. It nearly takes Leo pulling him off before Piper is able to give her the nectar, fear coursing through the three Greeks for the wellbeing of their friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger and the length - just to get me back into my writing process :) Hope you've enjoyed Chapter 4!


End file.
